Fresno Unified board trustees will receive 113% pay raises amid budget deficit
Fresno Unified School District trustees will receive a pay raise starting in February that will double the amount of their current stipends.
The Board of Trustees voted, 6-1, to increase their monthly stipend from $2,111 to $4,500, or $54,000 annually, starting Feb. 1.
The raises were made possible after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 1390 in October. The new law raised California’s limits on compensation for school board members for the first time in more than 40 years, and leaves it up to local school boards to decide whether to raise pay.
California law, unchanged since 1984, previously capped the stipend at $1,500 per month for the state’s largest districts and allowed boards to increase the amount by 5% every year.
“Serving as a school board trustee is a demanding role that requires a great deal of time, research, training, public engagement, and commitment,” said Assemblymember José Luis Solache (D-Lynwood), the author of the bill. “AB 1390 will help boards with the financial capacity to modestly and responsibly increase their compensation — ensuring that opportunities to serve our students remain accessible to all Californians.”
The raises approved by the school board Jan. 14 will also take effect as the district faces years of projected budget deficits and declining student enrollment, which has resulted in shrinking state funding. Last month, the board approved early retirement for 573 employees, aiming to save the district over $56 million over the next five years.
Fresno Unified is among the first handful of districts in the state to make use of AB 1390. Under the new law, school districts with an average daily attendance of more than 60,000 students may provide board members with a monthly stipend of up to $4,500. School boards may raise compensation by 5% annually, as well.
Trustee compensation at Fresno Unified had been stagnant for most of the past 25 years. In 2001, the governing board suspended the annual 5% raise and cap the stipend at $1,500 per month. The raise wasn’t reinstated until 2019.
During the 2023-24 school year, Fresno Unified recorded an average daily attendance, or ADA, of 61,879 students. The district projects its average daily attendance will drop below 60,000 by the 2027-28 school year. That ADA decline would place the district in a different compensation category under AB 1390, meaning its trustee stipends would lower to a maximum of $3,000 per month, according to Patrick Jensen, the district’s chief financial officer.
Trustee Andy Levine, the sole opposing vote for the resolution, proposed halting the stipend raises until the district is operating a balanced budget.
“I support the idea behind it and making sure that we have the capacity to be able to fully present and committed,” said Levine at a Jan. 14 board meeting. “The reality is that we are in a moment of operating under a budget deficit and having to make some difficult decisions over these next few months, if not longer. So I am concerned about any action taken on this item while we’re in this current budget moment.”
District officials told the governing board that while individual trustees cannot customize the stipend amount, they may choose to decline the stipend voluntarily.
“Here’s my thing: if you don’t want it, don’t take it. But we work hard, I work hard,” said Trustee Keshia Thomas. “City councils, board of supervisors, you name it, every board gets a stipend, and I don’t want anybody minimizing my opportunities. So that’s where I stand.”
For the last three years, no trustees have opted out from receiving the stipend, district officials said.
The district also provides all board members with the same health insurance coverage as active employees. In 2023, most Fresno Unified trustees received a total pay and benefits amounted $46,725, according to the Transparent California portal.
